American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
The Curse of Plenty: The Green Revolution and the Rise in Chronic Disease
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 16,
no. 4, October 2024
(pp. 1–33)
Abstract
The rising rate of chronic disease is a leading driver of the global disease burden. Yet, its determinants are not fully understood. Exploiting the Green Revolution and its expansion in historically groundwater-rich Indian districts, we examine the unanticipated contribution of agricultural productivity growth to the rise in chronic, diet-related diseases. We find that areas with greater adoption of new staple varieties saw an increase in diabetes in men born after the introduction of high-yield crops. We find suggestive evidence that diet is an important mechanism, such as heterogeneous impacts with respect to dietary habits and increases in household calorie consumption.Citation
Sekhri, Sheetal, and Gauri Kartini Shastry. 2024. "The Curse of Plenty: The Green Revolution and the Rise in Chronic Disease." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 16 (4): 1–33. DOI: 10.1257/app.20220621Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I12 Health Behavior
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O31 Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
- Q12 Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
- Q16 Agricultural R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
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